The race has begun for a place on the Academy Awards 20201 Live Action Short Film shortlist. The race this year is very tight, but here are our top picks. The Oscar shortlist will be revealed on February 9th. In the past we have correctly predicted many of the films on the Shortlist and beyond.

Alive – Directed by Jimmy Olsson

Jimmy Olsson’s Alive is a short film that tells the story of Viktoria (Eva Johansson), a disabled woman who yearns for intimacy, and her carer Ida (Madeleine Martin), who offers her help by setting her up a Tinder profile.

Bittu – Directed by Karishma Dev Dube

A close friendship between two girls is eclipsed by an accidental poisoning at school.

David – Directed by Zach Woods

DAVID tells the story of a severely depressed man who reaches out for an emergency therapy session. But he’s not the only one who needs help. “I wanted to make a movie about people who are funny and sad and trying their best— which, in my limited experience, is most people,” Woods says. The film depicts a father torn between the demands of family and work, (a common predicament during a year when so many are working from home). 

Exam – Directed by Sonia K. Hadad

A teenage girl reluctantly agrees to deliver a pack of cocaine on the day of an important test. A series of unforeseen events threaten to derail more than her GPA.

Feeling Through – Directed by Doug Roland

This coming of age story follows Tereek, a teen wandering the streets of New York, desperate for a place to crash when he encounters Artie, a DeafBlind man in need of help getting home. What begins as an awkward meeting between strangers, quickly becomes an intimate bond between friends, and a journey that forever changes Tereek.

Josiah – Directed by Kyle Laursen

Brandon, a talented actor who has yet to break through, auditions for what might be another stereotypical part in a period television series. Being the only Black man in a Hollywood setting is not unusual for him, but when something unexpected occurs in this casting session, Brandon must contend with three other perspectives in the room for a role that could actually change his life. 

Moloka’i Bound – Directed by Alika Maikau

A wayward young man, recently released from prison, struggles to reconnect with his son and Hawaiian heritage.

The Present – Directed by Farah Nabulsi

On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy would it be to go shopping?

Timo’s Winter (Inverno) – Directed by Giulio Mastromauro

Timo is the youngest member of a family of Greek Funfair workers. Together with his loved one’s, he could face his hardest winter yet.

Turned – Directed by Academy Winner Anders Walter

Kasper’s life is full of speed. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a successful career as a racing driver and loves his university studies. But underneath the surface traces from a traumatic and violent childhood threatens his road to adulthood.